COUNTRY & GARDEN: Gardeners' Christmas delight

Mail order catalogues are riveting. There are so many things in them that you can't imagine anybody ever wanting or using. Bathroom gadgets especially. I suppose it's part of the narcissism of the age, but are there really people out there panting for wall-mounted chrome soap-dispensers, stainless steel lavatory brushes, Bauhaus shower curtains and hanging shelves "to get your shower gel and shampoo right where you want them"?

I'm so glad I'm not a bathroom correspondent. I'd find it difficult to give guidance at this critical time. The mirrored stainless steel cabinets, or the beech soap dish? The sanded glass sink, or the steel laundry bin? Soapstone bathroom accessories, or a double beaker-holder? Can one recommend a double beaker-holder, when the price excludes the beakers themselves? "Darling, a beaker-holder, just what I've always wanted." Would the holder take wine glasses instead? Drinking in the bath is, after all, one of the great unsung pleasures of life.

Presents for gardeners are easier to source, and below you will find suggestions for Christmas presents all of which are available by mail order. Shop without ever having to leave the comfort of your own potting- shed:

THOMPSON & MORGAN

PO Box 99, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 6ZZ

To order any of the presents below, phone 01787 884141. Last date for orders is 6 December:

Wide range of garden-friendly items ranging from trugs to rain gauges, including the folding wheelbarrow (G-1304) made from a polypropylene liner hung on a rust-proof steel frame, 60cm x 107cm when folded, pounds 40

PPE204 Pocket tape-measure, compact and well designed in polished aluminium case, length 4.5cm x width 4.5cm x depth 1cm. Measures up to 150cm (5ft, if you order PPE203, marked in feet and inches, rather than centimetres)

ACD037 Long table candle, with 10 separate wicks, to set, like a log, down the centre of your outdoor dining-table, 65cm long x 7cm wide, available in grey, cream or brown, pounds 29.95

DVA048 Three oval earthenware pots, all glazed, off-white, ranging in size from 34-21cm, pounds 59 for the set